Yoga music - update (and a 'full on' revelation)

I just got back from some more Yoga training. Although I didn’t completely connect with the training itself, I always bring something positive back with me. This time it was the music.

The music was the most memorable thing. The songs this particular Yoga instructor chose to play were uplifting, catchy, awesome songs, and none of them were chants (shock .. horror), none of them had a sitar, and none of them were ‘new age’. Some songs were rock and some were pop. What impressed me was that he spends as much preparation time on his playlists as he does on his sequences. They were as unique as he was, and I had a revelation!

I often put together playlists of  ‘Yoga’ music and never really feel connected to them at all. They become like 'elevator' music. Background music with it's only purpose being to drown out the occasional embarrassing release of gas, or to set the scene and make the class feel more spiritual because you can hear 'Om Shanti' being sung in the distance. I don’t spend much time on the preparation, and I often spend a good amount of time dithering at the I-pod doc during the class to skip a song here and there, change the volume, or even change a playlists because I’ve decided half way through the class that I don’t like it. I realised during this course that if I choose to play music, then it’s a really important part of the class. Why? It sets the mood. It can make, or break a class. Music helps to lift the energy of the class, or can help to bring everyone back down to earth. My Yoga students have no choice but to hear it, so I should respect them and spend more time preparing it.

So, yesterday morning I put together a playlist of Aretha, Elton and The Stones (to name a few). I love every single song on this list and it showed in the class. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face whilst I was teaching in the afternoon! After the class, my students were high. That’s the only way I can describe them. They were high! One student told me that the class was perfect from start to finish, and one said she’ll never listen to ‘Tiny Dancer’ the same way again. A regular student of a few years said it was the best class I'de ever taught. All of the feedback was positive. 

Full on! Why hadn't I done this years ago???

Yesterday I became a better Yoga teacher. How? I felt at home in the class. All of the songs and the melodies were like home to me and this made the class in its entirety...me.  

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